Hua Shen Beixu smiled faintly, reaching out to brush past, and the dandelions scattering in the sky dissipated and fell. Bai Fu hurriedly fled, not wanting to stay for another moment.
The northern sea of flowers, the southern dense forest, the eastern Zizhi Mountain, and the western canyon encompassed an area of fifty million li, forming Dugguang.
Four boundary markers stood separately in the four directions, not only to warn outsiders that this place had an owner but also as protection for the wilderness of Dugguang.
Deep within the earth, the green vine's roots extended for thousands of miles, sensing the locations of the four boundary markers. The roots coiled around the four boundary markers, intertwining with the earth.
The spiritual consciousness of Qing Ling also attached itself to them. With the wood power of the four green vines, these four boundary markers could even unleash strength comparable to that of a late-stage Golden Immortal Venerate.
Qing Ling's current physical body was being honed by the Five Energies and Three Flowers, while his primordial spirit was absorbing the essence of heaven and earth's wood path by merging with the green vine, drawing upon the laws of wood from heaven and earth to strengthen the green vine's main body.
As the green vine grew larger and larger, the wilderness of Dugguang gradually became devoid of ferocious and desperate outlaws, with only some beasts yet to take human form surviving within it.
Time passed, and the green vine grew taller and taller, eventually exceeding the entire field of vision of Dugguang.
The tip of the green vine pierced into layers of clouds and mist, ethereal and hazy.
Qing Ling slowly opened his eyes. The Three Flowers and Five Energies above his head each exited their qi gates, the mystic gate gathered spirit, and his divine mind converged at the peak.
The Taiyi Dao Fruit manifested in heaven and earth. The wood path transformed into a python, and the paths of life and death transformed into black and white. A massive, dual-colored divine python coiled around the green vine, ascending upwards.
The python and the vine, the life and death, prosperity and decay merged into one. The green vine stood upright, its branches spreading at the top, with the snake coiled around the divine pillar.
The snake python was the manifestation of Qing Ling's qi cultivation, while the vine was the manifestation of Qing Ling's primordial spirit gathering the great dao of heaven and earth.
Qing Ling's physical body slowly stood up, towering like a pillar, and solemnly declared his vow, his voice echoing throughout the land of Dugguang.
"Today, I, Qing Ling, the divine assistant of spring, in the southeastern center of heaven and earth, in the land of Dugguang, have established a tree, named Jianmu.
I swear by heaven and earth that I will do my utmost to connect heaven and earth. Though my establishment is small, I am willing to inherit the will of Father God Pangu to support heaven and earth!"
The divine voice was magnificent, only reaching the world of Dugguang.
However, the entire Primordial World sensed it.
Qing Ling's destiny immediately received the blessings of the Primordial World. Mysterious yellow merit descended from the sky, and mysterious yellow merit ascended from the earth.
This was the merit of heaven and earth, not the merit of the Heavenly Dao.
Today, Qing Ling, much like the future Buddha making a great vow, responded to heaven and earth and was recognized by it.
Vast merit from heaven and earth flowed into the green vine. From then on, it was no longer a green vine, but Jianmu.
Along with it, Qing Ling himself merged with the merit of heaven and earth, his destiny becoming long-lasting and his fortune boundless.
His vow was to share the responsibility of supporting heaven and earth with God Pangu. Though his strength was small now, who could know its potential in the future?
Great God Pangu perished, but the responsibility of supporting heaven and earth still rested upon Buzhou Mountain.
Buzhou Mountain's oppressive power was immense, not only Pangu's might but also the heavenly and earthly pressure borne by the divine mountain that supported heaven and earth. Even a Great Luo Golden Immortal would find it difficult to tread upon it lightly.
After Great God Pangu's demise, many divine beings were born, but there were even more divine beings who had not yet taken form or had perished. Among those who were capable, few possessed the will to support heaven and earth.
Qing Ling's will to support heaven and earth was not about strength but about intention. He was the first divine being in heaven and earth to willingly support heaven and earth, thus earning the reward of the will of heaven and earth.
Great powerful beings from all directions looked towards Dugguang in surprise. This land of Jianmu, and this divine being, were being observed for the first time.
This was the first time Qing Ling was noticed by the great powerful beings of the world, and the first time he truly stepped onto the stage of the Primordial World.
Before, he was merely a drop of water in the torrent of the era; now, he was a fish within it, no longer a being that could be easily manipulated and killed.
This was also the beginning of Qing Ling's journey from an ant to a powerful being. In the future, legendary mythical figures would have the opportunity to meet and interact with him. Before this, he was an ant, unseen by the great powerful beings. After this, he had entered their sight.
The great powerful beings, whether curious, indifferent, or displeased, made no move.
This was because they all saw, to the east of the towering Jianmu, a majestic and immense green dragon silently observing them.
In this world ruled by dragons, even great powerful beings had to retreat respectfully.
Qing Ling's Five Energies and Three Flowers converged to form a patch of Great Luo auspicious cloud. Prosperity and decay, life and death flowed, the wood path flourished, and Jianmu strained upwards. Though still weak, it would one day support heaven and connect earth.
The realm of life and death, prosperity and decay, manifested, like a world suspended beneath Jianmu, where life and death complemented each other, jointly supporting the wood's power.
The giant python formed by Qing Ling's qi flowed into his physical body, and his physical body merged with Jianmu. His primordial spirit merged with his physical body and also entered Jianmu.
At this moment, Qing Ling's primordial spirit, along with Jianmu's height, expanded infinitely. He surveyed the world, the radiance of all daos, the busy lives of all beings, the vast wilderness of mountains and rivers.
At this moment, Qing Ling was no longer a Taiyi cultivator but had achieved the status of a great powerful being!
Within the realm where Jianmu was located, in the land of Dugguang, Qing Ling possessed the strength of a Great Luo, but his true form was still not a Great Luo. Once he left Dugguang, he would revert to being a Taiyi.
The five thousand li of sentient beings in Dugguang all prostrated themselves. The wood path of heaven and earth constructed the laws of the Dugguang realm. Here, every day of the year was spring, flowers bloomed naturally, and grass remained green. The profound dao was wood, and heaven and earth were all profound.
Therefore, the beasts, one by one, gained sentience and prostrated themselves, calling out "Qing Xuan Dao Master," respectfully welcoming the master of the region, the lord of Dugguang.
Qing Ling felt no excitement. To be honest, this was merely borrowed power from heaven and earth, a pseudo-Great Luo, not a true Great Luo.
Moreover, Jianmu, whether now or in the future, could only remain in the wilderness of Dugguang for eternity, unless heaven and earth were reopened and the Primordial World destroyed.
On Xishan Mountain, Granny Hua Geng's eyes welled up with tears in an instant. She gazed at Dugguang, her face filled with the accumulated wishes of a lifetime, the aspirations of generations. Without using any of her magical power, she roared to the sky, her voice hoarse, "Heaven blesses our Xishan! We finally have a Great Luo!"
At the same moment, Golden Immortal Venerates from Xishan all bowed down, excitedly shouting, "Greetings to our ancestor!"
"Greetings to our ancestor!"
Old Ape Shanku on Baxuan Mountain also exclaimed, "I never expected the Xishan clan to be so blessed with destiny!"
Among the Black Lizard clan, Supreme Black Mark watched Xishan with a grim expression, his gaze not moving for a long time.
And in the Land of Chaos, Supreme Shi Ri said with a strange expression, "This kid, although not a true Great Powerful Being, has made further progress in the path of wood.
Heh heh, Mu Gong, you'll be suppressed by me for many more years now."